The second half of the Unibet Premier League season begins at The SSE Arena in Belfast on Thursday, as Northern Ireland’s Daryl Gurney bids to continue his Play-Off surge against Rob Cross.
Following the elimination of Raymond van Barneveld after last week’s double-header in Rotterdam, the remaining eight players are now battling for four spots in May’s Play-Offs.
The first of seven further league nights sees the Premier League return to Belfast, where Gurney enjoyed a memorable victory in his first appearance at The SSE Arena 12 months ago.
Gurney also took on Cross on that occasion, winning 7-5, and returns to Northern Ireland in fourth place in the league table after winning his last three games.
Victory in the German Darts Championship on the PDC’s European Tour circuit last weekend also moved Gurney up to third on the PDC Order of Merit, leaving him in confident mood.
Cross sits level on 13 points at the top of the table with World Champion Van Gerwen, and the world number two is hoping to silence the home support
Van Gerwen defeated both Peter Wright and Van Barneveld by 7-1 scorelines in Rotterdam, and is looking to continue his push to top the league table when he faces Gerwyn Price in Belfast.
The visit to Belfast also sees third-placed James Wade come up against Mensur Suljovic, while Peter Wright meets Michael Smith.
2018 Premier League finalist Smith sits in eighth place going into the second half of the season, but is only four points away from the top four in a congested league table.
Night Ten Match Odds with Unibet
7/4 Mensur Suljovic 7/2 Draw 11/10 James Wade
5/4 Michael Smith 4/1 Draw 11/8 Peter Wright
9/10 Rob Cross 4/1 Draw 15/8 Daryl Gurney
3/10 Michael van Gerwen 11/2 Draw 11/2 Gerwyn Price
Current Premier League Table
P | W | D | L | +/- | LWAT | Pts | ||
1 | Michael van Gerwen | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | +22 | 21 | 13 |
2 | Rob Cross | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | +16 | 22 | 13 |
3 | James Wade | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | +10 | 22 | 11 |
4 | Daryl Gurney | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | +2 | 18 | 11 |
5 | Mensur Suljovic | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | +2 | 20 | 10 |
6 | Gerwyn Price | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | -1 | 17 | 9 |
7 | Peter Wright | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | -5 | 15 | 8 |
8 | Michael Smith | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -6 | 17 | 7 |
9 | Raymond van Barneveld (E) | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | -22 | 12 | 4 |